Useful information

World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims

Road traffic accidents represent one of the biggest human catastrophes. Every day more than 3,500 people die (a total of more than 1,300,000 a year) and 50 million are injured as a result of these accidents according to information from the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO also warns that by 2030, unless urgent measures are taken, the injuries caused by these accidents will become the fifth largest cause of death and the main one among people aged from 15 to 29 years old.

With the goal of recognizing road accident victims and the difficult situation of their family members who have to deal with the practical and emotional consequences of these tragic events, in October 2005 the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution that called upon governments to declare the third Sunday of every November the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.

Anyone can be an accident victim. But we're also part of the solution. That is why we are asking you to join us in commemorating this day when we will all gather together at the Conde Duque Cultural Center in Madrid on 20 November from 11:30 to 14:30 . During the day, Fundación MAPFRE volunteers will be working hand-in-hand with the STOP Accidents Association in support of the millions of family members affected by violence on our roads, with the aim of mitigating this global catastrophe.

Come along, there is no entrance fee! During the day there will be activities for every age group, such as a cycling circuit for children and a badge-making workshop, and you can also enjoy live performances by altruistic artists such as Antonio Pastor, Chocano, Gemelo, Escarnamusa and Los Seres, among others.

The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is an opportunity for us to reflect on the tragedies happening on the streets and highways of the world on a daily basis. According to the WHO Global Status Report on Road Safety 2015, despite improvements in road safety, 68 countries registered an increase in the number of deaths in road traffic accidents since 2010. Of these, 84% are countries with low incomes.

The least protected users account for half of all deaths on the world's roads: motorcyclists (23%), pedestrians (22%) and cyclists (4%). The probability of a car driver, cyclist or pedestrian losing their lives on the road varies from region to region. Thus Africa, at 43%, records the highest percentage of pedestrian and cyclist deaths as a proportion of total road traffic accident, while this rate is relatively low in South-East Asia. This reflects, in part, the level of road safety measures adopted to protect general road users and the means of mobility that predominate in richer and poorer countries.

At Fundación MAPFRE we will not confine ourselves to Spain. During the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims we will be present in 24 countries all over the world through our GOAL ZERO program aimed at achieving our ambitious objective of reducing the number of fatal road accident victims to zero.